This invention is directed to improvements in ventilating systems of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,457 (""457) for GREASE EXTRACTION VENTILATOR APPARATUS, by Arlen W. Gallagher, owned by the inventor of this invention. One purpose of the ""457 patent was to provide a ventilator system in which the grease vapors and lint could be removed without a water reservoir or grease entrapment area at the bottom, as well as to avoid accumulation on the interior walls of the ventilator and particularly to avoid baked-on grease deposits which will prevent water from absorbing heat from the walls of the ventilator. Although the system of the ""457 patent has proven highly effective in use, it does require some maintenance and cleaning on a regular basis as contaminants collect and accumulate on the interior walls of the ventilator.
It is desirable to provide a ventilator system in which contaminants, including odors, can be removed through use of ozone in combination with the creation of a vortex of exhaust air for extraction of contaminants from air and, alternatively, water or a method or means to avoid repeated cleaning of the apparatus.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide for a novel and improved contaminant extraction ventilator adaptable for use with cooking equipment and the like.
Another object of the present invention is to provide for a novel and improved method and means for extracting contaminants such as grease, odors and smoke as they are produced, rather than permitting them to become deposited on the interior walls of the ventilator or duct work.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a ventilator apparatus which generates a sheet or film of water with entrained ozone which is suspended and recirculated by a flow of air, thereby efficiently and continuously removing contaminants by centrifugal force, entrapment, oxidation and condensation.
Another object of this invention is to provide a ventilator apparatus which discharges ozone into an exhaust stream thereby oxidizing contaminants and avoiding repeated cleaning of the apparatus.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for extracting grease and other contaminants from an exhaust airstream in which a housing includes means for inducing the flow of exhaust airstream therethrough and, alternatively, water-injecting means are provided for injecting water into the housing in countercurrent relation to the flow of the exhaust airstream, the improvement comprising a source of ozone and discharge means for injecting the ozone continuously into the exhaust airstream prior to intermixture of the exhaust airstream with the water so as to create a vortex of ozonated water for efficient removal of the grease and other contaminants from the airstream.
In accomplishing the foregoing, an ozone-producing apparatus, or ozone generator, produces a concentration of pure ozone which is introduced into the exhaust air which is moving upwardly through an air inlet passage between an air inlet baffle and a back wall of a scrubbing chamber. Fresh water is introduced above the air inlet and by gravitation moved downwardly along the air inlet baffle where it slides off horizontally into the vertically upward path of the ozonated exhaust airstream. The ozonated exhaust air is intercepted by the flow of water moving horizontally away from the air inlet baffle, thereby lifting the water upwardly and through a narrow channel formed by the air inlet baffle and the back wall of the scrubbing chamber. The ozonated exhaust air combines with the water flow causing ozone to be entrained within the water flow. Ozone is naturally unstable and will oxidize and react with a target compound, such as, grease, odors and smoke, the ozone reverting to molecular oxygen as a byproduct. As the volume of water suspended in the ozonated exhaust airstream increases, the weight of the water against the upward air movement will cause its spread in a horizontal direction resulting in an even distribution of recirculated water throughout the entire length of the unit. When the weight of water suspended within the ozonated airstream reaches the maximum amount that can be supported, it is free to drain downwardly along the rear wall of the scrubbing chamber into a full width trough; and the excess water together with any entrained contaminants may then be suitably carried away through a conventional drain into the building drainage system.
In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a ventilating system for extracting grease, odors and solid particles from an exhaust airstream in which a housing includes an entrance passage and exit duct, means for inducing the flow of the exhaust airstream through the entrance passage, baffle means, ozone producing means, means for injecting ozone into the exhaust airstream from a location above the baffle means, the baffle means having a pair of spaced baffle supports and a baffle filter therebetween, and the baffle member extending diagonally along a substantial length of the housing.
A further embodiment includes a ventilating system for extracting grease, odors and solid particles from an exhaust airstream including a housing with an entrance passage, baffle means in the housing and a dry chamber, means for inducing the flow of the exhaust airstream therethrough, means for injecting the ozone into the exhaust airstream at the entrance passage, baffle means having spaced diverter panels, and means for injecting water into the housing from a location above the baffle means for discharging water into the housing in countercurrent relation to the flow of the exhaust airstream.
A final embodiment includes a ventilating system for extracting grease, fumes and solid particles from an exhaust airstream created by a cooking appliance including a housing with an entrance and exit passage, diffuse means and filter means contained within said housing, means for inducing the flow of the exhaust air through the housing, means for generating ozone and means for injecting ozone into the housing to provide even distribution of ozone gas into the exhaust airstream.
The above and other objects of the present invention will become more readily appreciated and understood from a consideration of the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment and several alternate embodiments when taken together with the accompanying drawings wherein: